Construction of buildings



(No Model.) I I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- I. D. -SMEAD.

CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINQS.

No. 426,552. Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

I. D. SMEAD.

- CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS.

Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

. m wmw UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC D. SMEAD, OF TOLEDO, OIIIO.

CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,552, dated April29, 1890.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ISAAC D. SMEAD, acitizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucasand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inthe Construction of Buildings, of which the following is aspecification.

My present invention relates to certain improvements in the constructionof buildings, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a building in perspective,showing my improvements as applied to a building. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection of a portion of a building with the parts enlarged to moreclearly illustrate the same, and Figs. 3, l, 5, and 6 illustratemodifications.

This in vcntion is designed for use in the largor class ofbuildings-such as school-houses, court-houses, public halls, churches,and the better class of private dwelliugsand it is especially adaptedfor use in buildings designed to be warmed and ventilated by thewellknown Ruttan-Smead system of warming and ventilation. Inconstructing buildings to be warmed and ventilated by this system it iscustomary to take the foul air out of the rooms through openings orscreens set in the base board, (or in the floor in old buildings) andconvey it thence under the floor to a gatherin g-rooni located in thebasement, from whence it passes either directly or through a vault orduet into an uptake or ventilating-shaft which extends above the roof ofthe building.

\Vhere there are numerous rooms to be ventilated, as is usually thecase, it is frequently neeessar Y to have the outgoing air under thefloor travelerosswise of the floor-joists, in order to reach thegathering-room or ventilating-shaft, and for that reason it is customaryto nail the floor-boards to strips resting on and at right angles to thefloor-joists, as shown in the drawings, in which- A represents aportionof one of the vertical walls of the building, J the floor-joist, I thetransverse strips, and l. the floor.

For a more detailed description of this plan of warming and ventilatingbuildings reference is hereby made to my prior patents, Nos. 261,870 and014,88-L. I With this plan of warming and ventilation Application filedNovember 15, 1889. Serial No. 330,387. (No model.) I

it is desirable to prevent the entrance of air into the rooms at allpoints, except through the w rm-air flucs, and it is also desirable toprevent the escape of the foul air from the rooms at all points, exceptthose specially provided for that purpose, and which are connected bysuitable passages with the ventilating-shaft, as stated.

Experience shows that as buildings are ordinarily constructed,especially when built of brick or stone, large cracks are frequentlyleft under the stone sills, it bein the custom to bed the sill on mortarat its ends only, in

order to prevent it from being cracked or broken by the weight of thewalls above, which bear on its ends only. Through such cracks and otheropenings a large amount of cold air enters the building, and where thewalls are fut-red out and lathed and plastered this cold air passes downbehind the plastering or waiuscoting, if any, and generally enters theroom at the bottom of the base-board, between which and the top of thefioor there is almost invariablya crack, owing to the shrinkage of thewood, even if made tight at first. The cold air which thus enters isdeflected in a sheet or current along the floor across the room, and isspecially injurious to school children or others sittingin the room, asit ends to make their feet cold, and thereby interferes with the propercirculation of the blood in the extremities. In addition to this, thesecold currents of air interfere with the operation of the warming andventilating system, and are objectionable for that reason also. In somecases this cold air passes down between the plastering and outer wallinto the rooms below or into the basement, and in some cases, where theflooring does not extend outv to the wall, so as to make a tight jointall around, and which is always the case to a greater or less extent,this cold air gets under the floor and interferes with the draft fromtherooms, it taking the place of the foul warm air which. wouldotherwise be drawn out of the room.

It is to remedy these dillicultics mainly that my invent-ion isdesigned, although it also accomplishes other beneficial results, aswill be hereinafter explained.

The improvement consists of a metallic plate ll, (shown more clearly inFig. 2,) of a suitable form to be set in the wall and project inward allaround far enough to form a perfect joint with the lloor, and also withthe wainscoting, when the latter is used. This plate ll may be made invarious forms in cross-section, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6; butthe form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is that which I consider preferablewhere wainscoting is to be used. It consists of a web or plate a, whichis to be built into the wall at the proper height, and which has avertical wing or flange b above and a vertical flange (1 below, thesebeing opposite each other so as to fit snugly against the inncrface ofthe wall. The lower flange (I has aflan gc e, which projectshorizontally inward, and which, with the prolongation of the plate a, asat 0., forms a continuous groove or socket for the reception of the endsof the floor-boards F, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

lVhere wainscoting is to be used, as is customary in modernschool-buildings, an upturned rib o is formed along the inner edge ofthe horizontal extension 0/, its inner face being beveled or rounded atits upper edge to make a neat finish and also to prevent the lodg'mentand accumulation of dust thereon. It is obvious that this rib or lip c,and which is the only part that will. show in the room,

(aside from the ventilatingscrcens hereinaftcr explained) may be made inthe form of a fancy melding of any desired style, if desired; but forschool-buildings and the like I prefer to make it plain, because it iseasier kept clean. It will be seen that the space between this rib c andthe vertical flange 11 forms a groove for the reception of the lower endof the wainscoting D, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the space in rear ofthe wainscoting being occupied by the plastering.

In cases where it is desired to fur out. and lath the outer walls, thevertical flange b may be setin far enough to allow for the same, and incases where the wainscoting is dis pensed with the rib a will take theplace of the flange b, as represented in Fig. 3-. By this means not onlyis the leakage of air into and, out of the rooms prevented, but in thecase of a fire in a building the walls of which are furred out thismetal plate forms a cut-elf at each story and prevents the fire fromcreeping gradually up behind the lath from one story to another. In likemanner it serves to prevent mice and other vermin from getting 7 inbehind the lath and plastering and passing up and down from basement toattic, and which not infrequently is a great nuisance, as when oncethere it is almost impossible to getat them. or dislodge them.

It will of course be understood that this plate II is to be inserted inthe outer walls of. the building all around, it being made in pieces ofany suitable length for that purpose. So, too,-where the partition-wallsare of brick or stone, as is usually the case in large or publicbuildings, it may be used in them also, and thus be placed around thebase of each and all the rooms. It is also obvious that it may be usedin partition-walls formed with wooden studding, it only being necessaryto form the part a with notches or holes at the points where the studscome, and which are usually set at uniform distances apart.

At points where the air is to be taken out of the room I modify the formof the plate, as shown at C, Fig 1, it being raised and provided with adowmhardly-projecting flange 'n, as shown, the casting thus forming abox open at front and bottom, and which projects into a recess in thewall, as shown. The front above the fioor is covered by aperforatedplate L, through which the air can pass into the box-shaped recess, fromwhence it passes under the floor, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1.Any required number of these outlets may be used in a room, and theymaybe set along one, two, or more sides of the room, that bein'determined at the time the plans for the ventilation are prepared.

It will of course be understood that these ventilating boxes or devicesmay be made of the proper length to be set in between the studdin g ofpartitiolrwalls, and thus be used in we 11s of that character as well asin brick 0;. stone walls, and that the front plate or screen L may bemade to project slightly, as shown, or that it may be made flat, so asto come even with the face of the wall, or nearly so, this, togetherwith the style of the perforations, being matters of choice merely.

It will of course be understood that these box-shaped plates 0 when setin the wall will be made to join or abut against the end of the adjacentplate 11 on each side, so as to form a continuation thereof, and thusthe plates II and 0, when properly set in the wall, form a continuouscut-off between the ex-- terior of the building and the interior of theroom.

Having now fully described my invention so that any person skilled inthe art can readily construct and apply the sam e, what I claim is-- 1.A metallic plate adapted to be set in the wall of a building at thefloor-line and cut off the passage of air into the rooms from theexterior of the building, substantially as shown and described.

2. A metallic building-plate for insertion in the walls of a building,provided along its front face with a groove or flange adapted to receivethe ends or edge of the floor-boards, substantially as shown anddescribed.

'IIO

3.. A metallic building-plate for insertion in I the walls of abuilding, provided with a groove along its top for the reception of thelower end of the wainscoting, substantially as shown and described.

4. As an improvement in the construction of buildings, the metallicplate inserted in the wall of the building and made to project foul airfrom Within the room, substantially 10 from the inner face of saif! wallsufficient-1y as described and shown.

to form a support for the floor-boards, sub- In witness whereof Ihereunto set my hand stantially as shown and described, wherebya in thepresence of two Witnesses.

5 tight; joint is secured at the base of the room.

' 5. A metallic hex-shaped plate C, adapted ISAAC D. SMEAD.

to be set in the wall of a building to form a cut-off to the admissionof air from the exterior, and a passage for the escape of thelVitnesses:

A. C. KOEHLER, M. L. PECKHAM.

